Taylormade Drivers - my impressions from the last 8-10 years....

[ZA206]

I'm a long time TM driver/wood/hybrid guy who generally tries the latest & greatest drivers every year (I'm a diver ho... like the rest of you degenerates).

Here are my thoughts on the different TM driver/shaft combo's I've played over the years (for reference, my driver speed is 112-108 mph, depending on the day):

RBZ driver 10.5 with Aldila RIP 60X:

My first white driver, loved it. I think this one had too much loft as I hit it a mile high, and never got a lick of roll. Forgiving and felt great, forgiveness/accuracy was 8/10, distance was 7/10SLDR White 8.5 with Fujikura Motore 757 70TX (white shaft):

Longest driver I've ever hit, it was a freak show. Required a precise swing, toe hits were death. Bad shots were REALLY bad. forgiveness/accuracy was 5/10, distance was 10/10

(This is the only golf club that I've ever had stolen from me.... still angry about it)2016 M1 8.5 with Fujikura 757 Evo TS 7X (charcoal colored shaft):

Really nice driver, great combo of feel, distance and forgiveness. Pretty good at everything, I regret getting rid of this shaft in particular. forgiveness/accuracy was 8/10, Distance was 9/102017 M2 9.5 with Aldila Rouge Silver 120 70X:

Pretty forgiving, but this head spun way too much, even with this shaft. It hit moon balls that went nowhere. When delofting it with the sleeve adjustment, it was open too much and I fought a block fade to the right. I also didn't like the sound. I gave this club to my nephew. forgiveness/accuracy was 8/10, distance was 7/102017 M1 8.5 (tour van head) with MRC Tensei Pro Orange 70TX:

I expected too much from this combo... it never lived up to my expectations. Was slightly above average for me. Sounded/felt great with hotmelt though. forgiveness/accuracy was 8/10, Distance was 8/102019 M5 9.0 with MRC Tensei Pro White 60TX:

Great driver.... really really good. Only downside... it was short. Ugggghh. Looked awesome, felt awesome, sounded awesome, was forgiving, great ball flight... it was almost perfect. It was NOTICEABLY shorter than the SLDR & M1.... I'm talking 15-20 yards shorter. forgiveness/accuracy was 10/10, Distance was 7/102020 SIM 9.0 with Fujikura Ventus Blue Velocore 6X:

Kinda early to tell, as my swing isn't in tip top shape, but I think this thing is as long as the SLDR. It feels good, looks awesome, sounds good. It's NOT as forgiving as the M5, but is probably around where the OG M1 was. I need to try it with my different shafts (I still have the PO and PW) and see if there is an ideal combo for me. The Ventus feels great, just not sure it's the ideal shaft for me yet... it might be though. At this point... forgiveness/accuracy is 8/10, Distance was 9.5/10

 

What are your experiences with the last 10 years or so of Taylormade drivers?

 

-ZA

[nitram]

The SLDR is the longest driver I've ever hit.

The '16 M2 is my pick for the best performer of the M's.

Haven't hit the SIM enough to form a solid opinion except initial impression was it's a SLDR v2 with a watch stem.

[pwgj1478]

R15?

[ZA206]

I never had the R15, so I can't comment. Did you have one? If so, what was your opinion of it?

 

[theothertwo]

SLDR 430 Driver - my favorite over the last few years. Just not good enough for it, lol.

[rxk9fan]

I guess a little off topic, but one thing that really stood out to me about the M5 (and to a lesser degree the M6) was they seemed to show a lot of wear more quickly than prior generations and for that matter any other driver I have owned.

I guess my favorite was the M2 (both 16 and 17). I did not feel I gained much if anything from the M5/M6 and I tried 4 different shafts. Maybe they needed more speed than I develop now? I still enjoy having the M3 tour 3wood in my bag.

Just rambling!

[nitram]

Not a lot that hit it were.

[getitdaily]

Rbz tour 9.0 with ust v2

Wasn't the level of golfer then as I am now. Got this driver coming off an 8 yr golf hiatus. It was longer than the hibore xl that was in the bag. Distance was good. Accuracy was ok. Didn't know a lot about launch and spin optimization and I'm pretty sure I was spinning that driver around 3000.

16 m2 9.5 with ust v2 and then 125msi rogue silver

Really good driver for a long time. Distance was good. Accuracy was really good. Transitioned to a fade while hitting this driver and as the fade got more controlled I still had occasional issues missing it right. Cracked 2 faces and figured I needed to find the driver I'd eventually move on to.

M4 8.5 with 125msi rogue silver - upright lie setting

As 16 m2 left I had gotten to know a lot more about launch and spin. This driver carried 10-15 yds farther than 16 m2. Great driver for a while but then started to lose it right too often. It was something in my swing but the driver exacerbated what I was doing so I fished for another 1.

M5 with 125msi rogue silver - standard lie setting

Just like you said...great driver except it was SHORT. For what the m4 lacked, this one didnt. M4 was costing me at least a shot per round. M5 gained me at least 1 per round. Several rounds of 12 fairways. Ballspeeds were 3-5 mph slower than m4 and that thought never left me.

SIM 9.0 with added 4g weight in the front track and 125msi rogue silver - played in upright lie setting

This driver was a launch monitor champion. But on course I really struggled to dial it in. Luckily, had a good bit of time the first month I bought it and hit it on course with many different weight settings. Got down to the final straw, was going to return it and decided to set it up where I'd hit hard lefts. Got to a setting where I missed just about every other ball left and dialed it back from there. That range session was the weekend before a 4 day golf trip to Texas. Hit the driver phenomenally well there. Distance 10/10. Accuracy- while difficult to dial in...9/10. As someone who plays a fade and thus needs spin control, the driver is a champ. Added bonus of this driver...easiest to hit off the deck of any driver since original big Bertha. And it's long off the deck. It's an absolute weapon to be able to hit a low running cut off ththe deck on a par 4 when control is needed without giving up too much distance. 10g weight in heel, 4g weight near "center" markings.

[Volnut]

I played an R7 quad up until 2 years ago! I took some time off in between but that thing was in the bag for years.

[Tree Levino]

I'm surprised about the M5 ball speed. I was going to pick up a head cheap as I bought an AD DI 6x with TM tip on it for silly cheap. After looking at some youtube and wrx reviews I saw that the ball speed was in fact low. I'm intrigued by the SIM but my miss is a block. I'm not a fader of the ball but if I put a bad swing on it it's usually due to bad sequencing and I'll end up a bit back footed with an open club face. The TS3 with weight in heel has been pretty perfect. I also find it weird that they have such a flat lie angle when every single tour head nearly is 59-60 for lie...

[Jack Pearsall]

Use the sldr 430 currently. Longest drives he’s ever hit. But as noted you really need to strike it on or near the sweet spot.

[getitdaily]

I wonder if m5 ballspeed issues were due to year 1 of injected face stuff and TM having an issue with their injection algorithm. If m5 had same ballspeed as sim then I would have never left it.

[theothertwo]

M5 Tour? 435 cc....https://www.taylormadegolf.com/M5-Tour-Driver/DW-JJI03.html?lang=default&cgid=taylormade-drivers#lang=default&gclid=Cj0KCQjw9tbzBRDVARIsAMBplx8AEXYnE8khYwk2YgKVB4SGwdyYcKnaAwoGhfLCLY94Xp2PNqou1SsaAtBHEALw_wcB&start=8&

[Tree Levino]

I was thinking that might be the case as well. Hit my FILs with Xtorsion stiff in it and absolutely loved the feel. I hit it very high and with a lot of spin though. If I could find a tour issue head with high CT in lower loft I would maybe buy it honestly. I loved the feel and sound. Shame it isn't that quick.

[Drivingrangehero]

I thought the M1 was decent, but I liked the Ping G30 Ls tec better, thought the rest were mediocre and over hyped until the SIM. I own a Ping G410 LST and like the SIM more than any driver I’ve ever hit...... and I’m usually a Taylormade hater . Almost every club they have put out in the the past few years I didn’t care for, or at least, I would like another couple of major manufacturers offerings better. Not when it comes to the SIM 8.5 ........ the only driver I never worried about losing it left, and the only driver I could work both ways without the occasional double cross. Mind you I’ve only demoed it about 1/2 a dozen times on a GC Quad, but still, I love it. Considering selling my Ping G410 Lst. I’m glad I payed half price for it, due to cracking the face on my G30 ls tec, it takes the sting out of it a bit. I give it a 10 out of 10 it looks good, sounds good, feels good, is workable and goes for miles! ??

 

[Pritam]

It’s funny, I also used TaylorMade drivers a lot during the last decade but didn’t use any of those listed by the OP. I started with the R9. Switched to the RBZ Stage 2. Then went to the 2016 M2 and now am at the 2020 SIM Max. The R9 was the hardest to hit. My swing had to be perfect to get anything out of it. The Stage2 and M2 were point and click. If I put a good swing on them the ball went good enough. If I put a great swing on them it was like I was suddenly transformed into a pro. I’m feeling like the SIM Max will be the same but I kept the M2 just in case.

I’ve tried a handful of other brands over the last decade as well but never found them as easy to hit as the TM offerings.